Star Wars: The Rise of Darkness
by AidanRiver
Summary: WARNING SPOILERS: This will continue where the Last Jedi Left off, and explores what could happen in Episode 9: The Return of Darkness. This is heavy on the Kylo Ren/Rey romance. May go up in rating later on.


CHAPTER ONE | **THE FOOL** | _The Sun Rising Up Deals Out Unlimited Potential and Dire Choices._

Prologue

A feeling of intense embarrassment washed over his body. His face felt heated, and his chest tingled with displeasure. Once again, Kylo Ren had failed. His greatest achievement of overthrowing his master faded in the background as his task of crushing the rebels took over his mind. But at this moment as he was kneeling on the ground, he could only his failure on the tip of his tongue.

Rey looked down at him from the ship and their eyes met. She stared into his dark orbs and they both held on steadfast to their separate paths. For the briefest moment she was reminded of when he was standing in front of her, holding out his hand.

"But not to me." His deep voice trembled with want. The world was in flames all around them and the adrenaline from their fight kept her muscles tense. For a moment she wanted so badly to take his hand and run away with him. His eyes gave away his struggle and she felt her heartbeat helplessly for him.

Rey mentally shook herself and closed the ship's door. Kylo stared blankly after her as the vision slowly faded back to reality. Loneliness ripped at him as the dull ache of embarrassment faded.

"Sir, it appears that the rebels have escaped." General Hux begrudgingly walked up beside his new "Supreme Leader." He fought to keep a grimace from his face. This angsty teenager was now his commander, and the General found it hard to fathom how the empire would continue on.

Kylo didn't grace him with a snide remark, instead he stood up from the ground and looked around the room, "Destroy this base, I don't want a single tool to be salvaged by the Rebel scum." His voice echoed darkly. The swirling emotions barely concealed by his blank features.

General Hux didn't want to press his luck, so he quickly barked out orders to his underlings before following after his Supreme Leader back to the main transport ship. The air filled with the sounds of clanking metal as the soldiers set to work and the sun began to set a beautiful crimson red.

"Oh and General Hux."

"Yes Supreme Leader?"

"Summon my Knights."

Section I

Rey sighed as she was forced to watch Finn walk around the common area in agitation. She was attempting to help with rationing their food as they made their way through the galaxy. However, Finn's pacing made her lose count once again.

"Finn, go check on Rose," Rey sighed.

Finn flinched, startled from her sudden confrontation. He laughed awkwardly in response, "Sorry Rey. It's just weird she hasn't woken up yet, and we don't have the medical supplies to do much."

"I know, but you're going to wear out our floor," Rey tried to lighten the mood. She was too scared to ask much about Finn's adventure with Rose. It really wasn't her business but she felt an odd tug of what seemed like jealousy. Rey quickly shook off the feeling, why would she be jealous? Finn was just her friend.

Finn laughed, "Okay, how about I help you out instead? Rose is being looked after, and I won't be able to do much other than annoy the doctor."

A sad silence washed over them both, but it was quickly broken by Poe walking into the small space. "Am I interrupting something?" He asked after feeling the thick atmosphere.

"No, I'm just doing regular maintenance," Rey told him with a small smile. Poe stared at her for a second before he smiled back. Finn raised his eyebrow.

"Anyway, lets get to work," Finn said loudly before he crouched down next to Rey. Poe walked over to the nearest seat and fell into it with a woosh. He began fiddling with the fabric on his sleeve and quickly began to zone out. He couldn't get the Vice Admiral out of his mind. At the time he thought that she was trying to destroy what little hope they had left. If only she had told him what her plan was from the very beginning, maybe they would have more Rebels with them now.

Rey on the other hand, was keeping herself busy when she felt the unmistakable presence of Kylo Ren. She paused, mentally cursing that this would happen with so many people around. Kylo looked at her, and saw how tense she was. He was in the middle of wiping off his saber at his private quarters.

She didn't make eye contact and continued her work. Kylo would glance at her in the corner of his eye every few moments. But he continued cleaning. Rey was mentally cursing as she could feel his suffocating presence around her. However, neither one said a word.

"Rey you've been re-counting that stack for like three minutes now," Finn broke the silence sounding confused.

"Oh yes, that would be correct," Rey replied awkwardly, adding a small chuckle at the end. Now it was Kylo's turn to stare intensely at his work. Rey could feel the tension building in him and she immediately stood up.

"Well, I'm tired. I'll be going to bed," She told the three boys, her voice too casual. "Oh, I'll come with you," Finn told her, getting ready to stand.

Rey felt a menacing flare of tension emit from Kylo, and she laughed. Sounding a little crazy, she tried to make an excuse, "Well, um. Actually, I need to do some lady stuff before that. So I'll be going to bed later."

At this point, Poe was joining Finn's confusion at Rey's suddenly weird attitude. However, as soon as she mentioned, "Lady Stuff", both decided it wasn't worth questioning her.

Rey quickly walked out of the common room and went straight for the small bunks. Kylo's presence drifted away. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling like this was just the beginning.

Section II

Three days had passed before the surviving Rebels had landed on the moon in a neutral territory. The trip was long considering that there wasn't much space on the Falcon and people tried their best not to be solemn after the massive failure their last mission had been.

As the doors opened, Rey sighed. Being in open air was a relief. The sun was brought and the sand made her reminisce of her time in Jakku. Rey wiped her neck, already feeling her skin dampen from the heat. She gasped as she was knocked over, only to be steadied by caramel hands.

"Watch your step," Poe winked with a sly smirk.

"Oh, I will," Rey huffed playfully and stuck her foot out as he was moving past her. Orange powder filled the air as the devious man landed in the dirt, "But it looks like you need to watch yours." Rey allowed her own smirk to grace her features as she stepped her the pilot. He was going to rebut when Leia walked past them.

"Stop playing children, we have work to get to," She told them. Her eyes sparkled with mischief despite the stern quality to her voice.

Rey held out her hand to Poe and he took it gratefully. She noticed that despite the hard work he had to do on a daily basis, his hands were warm and smooth. He looked down at her and gave her a cheeky smile before he followed Leia.

Rey shook her head. He was definitely trouble, she could see it from a mile away. Sighing she grabbed a pack and joined the small group. They were being welcomed by an ally of the rebel fleet. He was aiding them in regrouping before a meeting would be called to discuss their next plan of action.

As the group walked through the rocky desert, small lizard-like creatures scampered away from the disturbance. The trip was quiet, and Finn was walking with Rose a few paces ahead of Rey. Rose had woken up the day before much to the delight of the crew. The young woman insisted she could make the hour walk, however Rose still seemed weak from her crash. Rey's gaze lazily drifted to Finn who was hovering over the shorter girl.

Poe slowed his pace until he was walking besides Rey. He lifted his arm in her direction, offering his canteen. She shook her head in response with a small smile of gratitude. He nodded and took a swig.

Leia called for a small break, considering that there were several wounded on this trip. Poe seemed like he didn't want to stay still, but didn't want to push the issue. Rey sighed in delight and sipped her drink. But she ended choking on her drink once she felt that too-familiar presence of the prince of darkness.

It looked like he had just finished up a meditation session. Although he was once again shirtless, this time he was wet from sweat. He had his eyes closed tightly, knowing that if he opened them, he would see the haunting presence of the sand queen, "Why are we still seeing each other?"

His voice was as deep as always. Rey shook her head, "I don't know but I can't talk. I'm with a group of people." She angrily whispered.

"Well, I'm busy gaining utter balance," He told her snootily. Clearly remembering that she had rejected building a new empire together.

She threw him a dirty look, and tried her best to look casual. Hoping that no one would notice her talking to herself. Thankfully, no one noticed, but she mentally cursed as Finn came over to see how she was doing.

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm used to this climate."

"I'm sure, but I wanted to double check," He smiled brilliantly at her. Rey felt her heart squeeze, he was so nice.

"He clearly wants to bang you," Kylo announced sourly.

Her eyes widened incredulously, she couldn't believe he said that out loud.

"Uh, Rey?" Finn looked confused that she had such a surprised expression.

"Oh, I saw a… Glimon-hila, didn't know they were native to here," She laughed casually, "How is Rose?."

Finn shrugged off the change of subject, "She's doing well, after the adventure we had, I'm surprised she's already ready to go back to battle." He looked sad for a moment, but before Rey could comment, Leia announced they would continue their trek.

As Finn walked away, Rey looked down at Kylo. He was still cross legged and watching her intently. She stuck her tongue out at him before she sauntered after the rest of the group.

Kylo rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help the smallest quirk of his lips.

Section III

Finally the surviving Rebels were able to make out a grand castle carved out of stone. It looked almost temple-like with its elaborate features. Rey was curious about it's inhabitant, and why he would live in such a giant place.

"We better hurry. It will be dark soon," Poe announced to the group. There wasn't a groan of resistance, the sun had quickly sapped the energy from those walking under it. The relief of shade was immensely missed.

"Um, guys, we have a problem," Finn yelled out.

Rey looked to her right to see a giant dust cloud traveling quickly in the horizon. Her heart beat sped up as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She knew that the temple was too far away for the group to reach before they would be swallowed by the storm. But before she could blink, the small rebel group had began running to the shelter.

She was jogged out of her moment of hesitation by a frantic hand latching on to hers. She looked up at Poe as she allowed him to drag her to the distant temple. "Come on, we have to go now!", He yelled at her.

Rey's legs finally got the hint and began moving in sync with Poe's. Her muscles protested as the sand added extra resistance with each step. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion as the group desperately tried to make it to the temple before the haboob reached them. It was her turn to drag Poe, her lungs protested as she yelled at the others to get down.

She threw her extra fabric over he face and shut her eyes. Poe attempted to do the same as the mess of sand began to beat at them mercilessly with the wind. Rey used her makeshift face mask to slowly breath. Despite being so low, the air was insistent on trying to blow her away, she could feel the resistance lifting her as she focused on her center of gravity. Poe's arm had wrapped around her. The sky darkened as dust scattered, but opening your eyes would leave them pummeled by sand.

Rey latched on to Poe, and slowly began crawling in the general direction of the temple. He hesitantly followed, clearly not trusting his lack of sight.

It seemed like an eternity that Rey crawled, what would have taken ten minutes, took them almost forty. Both rebels were parched from being unable to drink their water. Fear was beginning to creep up, what if they were going in the wrong direction? However, both rebels could begin to feel the smooth surface as desert turned mountainous. The haboob was beginning to thin out, leaving the air much more breathable. Neither one removed their makeshift filters.

Risking her current "comfort" Rey cracked her eyes to see the temple block the storm. She shook Poe's arm and he also ventured to peek. Their eyelashes barely stood against the onslaught of dust, but when the saw the cliff wall, they quickened their pace to the entrance of the temple.

Almost immediately they could relax.

"But what about the others?" Rey asked. Poe nodded in agreement. Their teammates were still out in the desert, at worst they would be left with scratchy eyes and a cough, but it would feel like they were betraying them if they did not try to help. Poe sighed as he shook off the sand that had accumulated in is clothes.

"What are we waiting for?" He told her with a hint of challenge.

She smiled and pulled out some goggles from her robes. She couldn't put them on when there was already sand blowing everywhere.

They linked arms and back into the storm.

Someone in the background smirked before walking deeper into the palace.

Section IV

An hour later the rebel group lay on the ground at the entrance of the palace. All were covered in dust and tired.

Finn was off to the side spitting out mud.

"Knock it off, we're technically on someone's property," Leia huffed from the floor.

Rose was laying on the ground, she was used to working as a grunt, so she had a pair of goggles on hand, but since she was still recovering the sandy air wouldn't help.

"Welcome to my humble abode." A voice thundered with good humor.

A golden alien stood at the main doors. His robes were long and held by aliens with big black eyes. They were curvacious and human-like besides for the light red hue to their speckled skin. The man himself of tall and had multiple arms, his red skin was darker and had the same speckles. He was elaborately decorated; Rey was confused by how he was able to walk with all of his accessories.

Princess Leia stood up on shaky legs and bowed. Everyone in the rebel group followed suit.

"Please, do not bow on my behalf. I am a humble creature here to provide a resting place for my dear associates," His voice of unmistakingly alien. Rey couldn't help the shiver that went down her spine, his voice held a regal yet sensual tinge.

Finn looked between Rey and their host with a frown on his face, the gears in his mind turning.

"Zarizoar, you know I wouldn't dream of it," Leia told him with a twinkle of amusement reflected in her dark eyes.

"Simply Zari, my Princess," He corrected. The ladies holding his robes remained impassive, "At any rate, you all look tired, please follow me to your chambers, then we shall eat once you have all had a chance to wash."

Rey thought it was odd that such a show-off would be personally showing them their rooms, but she didn't think any more of it as they followed their host.

"This guy gives me the creeps," Finn whispered, Rose was to his right, while Rey was to his left.

Rey shot him a look to shut up, even though she grew up in a ditch, she knew when it was a bad idea to bad mouth your host while he was only several paces in front of you. His warm laughter rang out as he looked down at Leia. He was at least seven feet tall. They were making small chit chat, it was clear that they've known each other for several years.

"Here we are Princess, your room is the first door. Everyone else may choose their rooms," Zari clapped all four hands.

"As always thank you Zari," Leia smiled.

He smirked down at her before turning to make his way out of the hall. Rey tried not to stare as the man and his servants walked. However, they made brief eye contact. His dark eyes twinkled mischievously before he made his way out.

"What was that?" Finn asked.

"What?" Rey replied.

"That guy just gave you googly eyes!" He whispered aghast.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rey told him while looking confused.

"That guy is trouble, I know it," He exclaimed.

Poe perked up and wrapped an arm over Rey before using her to lean on, "What's goin on?"

"I caught that guy ogling Rey!" Finn told him. Rey's mouth fell open, she couldn't believe he would make such bold claims to their teammate. Seeing her reaction Poe smirked, "Oh really? Rey, you need to dial back the charm."

Rey Shrugged him off, knowing that he was teasing her, "I'm going to shower, see you two idiots later." She huffed before choosing a random room that had yet to be occupied. She could hear the chuckles of Poe, and the exclamation from Finn as she left.

Section V

Rey sighed in content as the warm water washed over her body. She was surprised that there was any water on such a arid planet, but was more concerned about washing off the accumulation of sweat and sand. Her mind drifted lazily over to the one and only Kylo Ren. She hadn't seen him since in the desert, it was only hours ago but it felt longer. The brown haired women shook her head, she was irritated that she was thinking about Kylo when she still hadn't forgiven him for wanting to continue his death crusade.

She turned off the water and walked out of the shower. Rey had never had the chance to be so clean. Usually she was taking sand baths,or just going days without cleaning up, after all, supplies are low, and water is a luxury not to be wasted on showering.

She slipped on her dirty clothes after giving them a shake, before proceeding to be led by a little droid to the dining hall. Most of her comrades were already there. Leia seemed to be absent along with Finn and Rose. Another small twinge of jealousy flared in her chess but she stuffed it down before smiling at Poe. She took a seat next to him after he waved her over.

"Any idea when this is going to start?" She asked him.

"None at all, he didn't give us a time, but I assumed people would be quicker," Poe replied under his breath. His sharp eyes darted around the room taking note of the exits. Rey nodded and also gazed around the extravagant room. Despite being a forager, she had a lack of a sense of fear for someone who lived in a harsh environment her whole life.

Leia and the remaining rebel group entered the dining hall, being led by Zari who was animatedly talking the rebel princess. He clapped all four hands as the group took their seats.

"Thank you for joining me my friends. Please eat before going to bed, we have a lot of planning to do in the morning," Zari announced. His dark eyes gazed between each person, and when they finally landed on Rey he paused for an extra moment before moving on. Rey couldn't help the scowl beginning to form between her brows. She shared a knowing look with Poe before looking down at the platters of food that servants had begun placing on the table.

Finn was down the table next to Rose. He watched as Poe and Rey began to eat, and wished that he was by all of his friends. Rose had perked up significantly after her shower, and was ignoring the looks that Finn was shooting in the other direction. She had only known Finn for a couple of weeks, so she knew that it would take time for her to be accepted in their group. Despite being armed with this knowledge she couldn't help but feel lonely. The short woman was glad that Finn was taking care of her while her body rested, but he hadn't given her an answer to her declaration of love during their last battle. Rose began to wonder if Finn misunderstood her feelings.

"Call it a pilots intuition, but this place doesn't sit right with me," Poe quietly confessed to Rey, pretending to study his food with interest.

Rey nodded, she couldn't put her finger on it. But she certainly knew the feeling when trouble was looming in the distance. Along with this train of thought came frustration. If she had the proper training she could have became a Jedi, then she would be able to properly protect her friends and stop the First Order from their reign.

Rey dug into her meal and the evening progressed. Fatigue from the trek through the desert slowly creeping in. She tried to eat quickly so that she could go to bed. She noticed that other members of the last of the surviving crew trickled out of the hall as they completed their meals. The young women took that as a sign that they weren't strict about waiting for their host to complete their meal.

With a quick nod to Poe, Rey made her way out of the hall, making sure to thank her host before she went. The hallways had darkened considerably during their meal, and she was left to the light glow of lamps to help lead her back to the resting quarters.

Rey couldn't help but feel creeped out by the empty halls as the noise of laughter faded the further she went. Her steps echoed, and she began to wonder if there was more than just the patter of her own feet, however when she glanced around, she could not see anyone.

The air grew colder as she walked and the young women was starting to wonder if she had taken a wrong turn at some point. She couldn't remember it taking this long to get to her room. It was especially confusing since it was a straight path from the dining hall.

Rey slowed to a stop, her heart beating furiously. She chuckled a little to herself, attempting to lighten her mood. Leaning against the wall she looked to her left. The dining hall was nowhere in sight. A whoosh of breath released from her mouth, she looked to her right, the hallway was dark. This was the end of the lamps.

"Okay, don't panic, I'm just in a new place and I'm not used to being in hallways." She told herself. Despite talking to herself, she could feel her blood pumping.

"You look worried?" Kylo was leaning against his bed rest. He had debated on not saying anything, but Rey wasn't looking so hot.

Rey jumped, she hadn't been expecting the company of the young Solo.

"I'm not worried" She murmured while licking her lips.

"Right," Kylo replied, clearly not convinced.

"Okay, just shut up for a moment," Rey growled, a hand over her heart. She was trying to even out her breathing. Kylo raised one eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you be talking to me with more respect? Afterall, I'm now the Supreme Leader," Kylo announced smugly.

Rey ignored him, and worked up the courage to look around once again. The results were the same.

Kylo stared at her with interest choosing to ignore her insolence. Afterall, it wasn't like he could reach out and shake her considering that they were millions of miles away from each other. Inwardly he was pleased that their bond was still intact, despite her rejection there was a small part of him hoping that over time she would change her mind. Especially with his plans in place. The time for change was coming and he would be the hand that deals out the possibilities for a new and improved empire. One that no one had ever dreamed of.

"I'm lost," The warm voice of Rey announced quietly.

Both winced at how loud it sounded after being engulfed in the comfort of silence for several minutes.

"Have you learned nothing? One is never lost when the force is humming diligently" Kylo scolded.

Rey paused, reaching out and feeling the familiar hum of energy swirling around her, he was right. The force was buzzing almost excitedly for her, she wondered how she hadn't noticed it until now.

Kylo looked smug again, "You know, if you had proper training then you would be more prepared in situations like this." He let his tantalizing words hang in the air for a moment.

"That idiot didn't teach you anything, I bet all that he had you do was meditate. It's impossible to learn how to be a jedi in such a short amount of time. Kids are trained until they're young adults. I'm not the norm," Kylo told her.

Looking back, Rey had realized that she hadn't been seriously trained when she had spent time with Luke. If anything he gave her more resistance than assistance. He would give her a command and she would go out and work on the order, but she wouldn't go out of her way to say that she felt any more capable than she did before they met up.

"Don't call him an idiot," She replied dismissively. Kylo frowned, clearly displeased about her reaction.

"I can't believe you still look up to him after what he did to me," Kylo ground out bitterly.

Rey's eyes softened, "He cared for you...Ben," she hesitated for a moment before using his given name.

Kylo looked away, clearly not happy about where this conversation has gone.

"I have no need for anyone to care for me," Kylo told her, his voice losing any emotion.

"Kylo," Rey started, but he disappeared. She was beginning to think that their bond was a bigger pain in the ass than she had initially thought.

A shadow fell upon her, and Rey startled. Looking up she saw a woman with her mouth sewn shut. As with all the women native in the building, she was tall and alien. Her dark eyes stared down at her expectantly. She motioned with her four hands to follow her. Rey crept behind the silent woman with baited breath. She wasn't a fan of feeling out of control.

Finally they arrived back into the sleeping hall, as one point the path had branched off, and the young women had gotten lost. Despite knowing this Rey felt confused, she usually was great with directions and did not remember seeing a fork in the path.

The women bowed, and walked away as soon as Rey had been delivered back to her room. She quickly jumped in bed, ready to end this tiring day.

Section VI

The grand hall in the ship was filled with various prestige. Standing to attention as a vessel pulled in. The hall was mysteriously quiet despite having hundreds of people standing to attention.

At the end of the hall sat Kylo Ren, his face no longer shielded. He was making a statement, one that meant that his own face was to be feared. As the new Supreme ruler he needed to give off an aura of indifference. It was a new world that he hadn't anticipated, his life had already been threatened twice. Once by an assassin and another by poison.

Thinking of such things made him clench his fist in anger, he wasn't respected. Otherwise he would not have anyone dare stand in his way.

As the doors of the vessel opened, a group of six walked out. This group of six warriors were not ordinary. These warriors were hand picked by Kylo Ren, each one had undergone numerous trials unfit for the humane. They were tested on intelligence, strength, and emotional steadiness. Many had died, but these six soldiers were the best of the best.

 _Hex_ the compassionate, _Kindin_ the mystic, _Ivy_ the stable, _Tertius_ the Spiritual, _Levi_ the united, and _Primus_ the leader, these six made up the Knights of Ren. The driving force that has delivered the goals of Kylo Ren throughout the galaxy.

As they stood before their supreme leader, faces masked, each one shared knowing looks with one another. Their awkward gangly ruler had finally achieved what they had worked for. He now held the chair, and it was their job to ensure that it stayed that way going forward.

"My knights, it is time for us to create a new world order", Kylo smirked.

"Yes my lord." The six voices echoed as one, each knight sunk to one knee. Their master would lead the galaxy to greatness.

Clapping reverberated through the hall as the higher ranked socialites welcomed the knights back into the main base.

The hall was dismissed and Kylo Ren stood, ready to make his way back to his throne room. The Knights followed him from a respectful distance. Each one alert with a calm exterior.

"We mustn't let these snakes think that now that Snoke is gone that the can walk all over me. Hux has always sought out power, so I have zero doubts that he's scheming." Kylo muttered with an air of indifference.

"I can assure you Supreme Leader Ren that we will not allow such insolence" Primus asserted. He had handled his lords affairs since Kylo Ren had first been introduced to the first order.

"I have no doubts," Kylo announced smugly.

"We will make the New Jedi Order whether these fools want it or not," Kylo smirked, "My plans are falling into place quicker than expected."

His Knights bowed the heads, anticipation brimming excitedly. They were ready.

Section VII

It was morning when there was a light knock on Rey's door. She stretched before scrambling to answer it. A little droid informed her that all rebel forces were called to a meeting. Rey nodded and re-tied her hair, rinsing the sleep from her eyes with cool water. She proceeded to hurry after the still present droid as it led her to the meeting room.

"Finally awake princess?" Poe greeted her as she entered the area. She didn't grace him with a reply but sat by him as others stumbled in.

Fin and Rose came in together and Rey offered them a small smile which they returned wholeheartedly.

"Thank you for being here, I think it's time for us to discuss our next round of action. As you know many of our comrades did not make it through our last mission, and now we need to make some tough decisions." Leia informed the grim group.

Rey frowned, she wasn't close to all of the people that had fallen, but knowing that their deaths could have been prevented was a heavy burden to bare. As the meeting went on, Rey's mind began to drift in and out.

"Rey, you must lead us as the head of the new Jedi Order," Leia's voice carried over.

"Me?" Rey sputtered, she had hardly done any type of training with Skywalker, and she certainly had no idea how she would be a head of the new Jedi Order.

Leia raised her eyebrow, she had a inkling that she hadn't been paying attention to the meeting. Everyone was looking at Rey like she was a beacon of hope. It only intensified the feelings of trepidation for Rey.

Leia continued the meeting.

Rey caught the look Princess Leia had sent her as the meeting had come to a close, she was meant to stay behind. The young women felt like she was about to get scolded and didn't know how to feel about that.

"Rey, we need to talk," Leia began. Rey nodded already knowing that much. Poe looked at them briefly before he tucked tail and dipped.

"We have the potential to start a new Jedi Order, we could begin a new academy and take on potential force sensitives. Since you were the last to be taught by a master, I think it would be best if you took over the position of establishing a new academy." Leia looked older, her hair was greying and she appeared brittle. Despite this, her eyes burned with determination.

"I'm flattered, but I don't think I'm cut out for that." Rey licked her lips nervously, hoping that she had declined professionally.

"None of us were cut out for war but here we are now, we need a new place to put our hope into. The Jedi are a symbol of light." Leia countered without missing a beat.

Rey stared back at her for several moments, Leia's eyes softened and she placed a hand on her shoulder. They stood in silence before Leia gave her one last squeeze before heading away.

 _ **OLD: Author Note 12/?/2017:**_

 _Thank you for the encouraging words, follows, and favorites! I'm obsessed with Kylo Ren, but most of the stories I've read are going too fast for my taste. So I am only left with writing my own story haha_

 _ **OLD: Author Note 01/02/2018:**_ _Hey guys, I ended up getting the flu a day after my last chapter. I was planning on having WAY more written, but I figured I would post this so that you know I haven't abandoned you. Also, I feel so old, I've been on Fanfiction for over ten years now, and was surprised about the_ _ **Slow Burn**_ _slang term. I'm in my early twenties so hopefully I don't end up out of touch this soon!_

 _ **OLD: Author Note 01/07/2018:**_ _I'm obsessed with Persona 5. Send help._

 _ **NEWEST Author Note:**_

 _I'M SORRY. I'm only uploading this because I don't want you guys to think I'm not going to continue it, I am, I just have a very time intensive job._


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